Shreya Paranjape
London, November 4, 2020
This week, I successfully cooked and delivered 10 healthy, home-cooked Indian meals within our building community in London, United Kingdom.
I have recently been feeling completely drained and demoralised from the job hunt that I have pursued for the past six months.
I was running out of ideas on how to pass time whilst keeping myself motivated.
I remembered a conversation with some friends a couple of months ago.
They recommended that I should take on a new challenge while I continued my job search.
Initial apprehension
This idea in particular stood out in my mind but I did not give it a second thought because I felt it was too far-fetched and not something achievable.
After a few weeks of hesitation, I decided to take the next step and get a sense of the level of interest, so I pitched the concept to our building community via the Facebook group.
Was I scared that no one would show interest and that the idea would fizzle out before it even started? 100%. Did I think this was way out of my league considering I have never cooked for anyone but family and friends before?
Yes!
Exiting the comfort zone
Then I came across this quote in a book; “Step out of your comfort zone and face your fears. Growth takes place when you are challenged, not when you are comfortable.”
Once I started, for the first time in a long while, I felt that my time had been put to good use, to do something productive and worthwhile.
It has given me something to look forward to each week, not to mention the new things that I am learning along the way.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a great support system (even if majority is remote), who always believe in me and encourage me.
If it were not for them to give me a little push right when I needed it, I would never have taken the plunge… so thank you (You know who you are!).
Sporting positive dreams
To anyone who needs to hear this during these uncertain times: “Dream as though you have nothing to lose. Believe as though anything is possible!”
Most importantly, do not forget to celebrate the small wins!
Shreya Paranjape was born in India and raised and educated in Christchurch, New Zealand. She lives with her husband in London, United Kingdom.
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